A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device useful for splitting objects, in particular wood. The device is hand-operated in a manner similar to the operation of a conventional axe.
B. Background Art
Wood splitting is old and many devices have been developed throughout the years. Prior art hand-operated wood splitters have been limited to maul-type axes or wedge and sledge hammer devices. Such devices were not efficient and usually required successive operations with the striking of one implement by another.
One such prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,163. This device is a splitting wedge and has spreader arms pivotally disposed on the centerline of the wedge. The free ends of the spreader arms engage and further split the wood after the wedge has started the split. The spreader arms are not mounted on the head portion of the wood splitter. Moreover, this device is used in conjunction with a hydraulic cylinder having its piston rod directly attached to the wedge being forced into the wood and is not a manually operated device. Thus, this device is cumbersome and not suited for manual operation.
A recent prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,808. This hand-operated device contains two movable levers pivotally mounted at two respective points off the centerline and on opposing sides of the head portion. These levers criss-cross each other through an opening in the head portion and swing outward to opposing sides from their resting position. These levers contact the object to be split after the cutting edge splits the wood, thus causing the levers to swing outward in opposite directions and further split the object. This device is an improvement over prior hand-operated devices since the lateral splitting force is generated from direct contact with the lever ends. This device, however, still has the same deficiencies as the device previously described. Since the levers are not part of the cutting edge, the levers engage the object to be split only after the cutting edge enters the object. Thus, if the cut made by the cutting edge is wider than the width of the two levers, the device becomes ineffective, since the levers cannot properly engage the object.
Also relevant are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,749,365 and 3,982,572.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a device useful for splitting objects such as wood and logs which is well suited for manual operation.
A further object of this invention is to provide a device which can efficiently split an object by ensuring that the thrust mechanism is always effective in engaging and splitting the object.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a device which has not only a rotating thrust mechanism but also a rotating cutting mechanism, the latter being located along the cutting edge of the head portion, thereby ensuring proper engagement with the object to be split.